Out Of The Dark
by McShipper
Summary: Three months after the bombing of the bank in New York, Shelby struggles with the darkness of depression and survivor's guilt. In a series of therapy sessions, she works through every minute of that fateful day in July. But she slowly comes to the realization, that maybe she's not the one that needs to be pulled out of the dark.
_A/N:Hello all! So this is my first multi-chapter shaleb fic, and I am very excited about it. It won't be super long I promise. You won't be waiting years for updates. But it started out as a one shot and I was like...yeah no. Anyways, this obviously doesn't follow canon. Shaleb are a little bit nicer to each other in this story here than they were in canon, but I was in desperate need of some fluffy goodness. It started off as a theory as to where future!Caleb was back in like February, and somehow spiraled into this. I already have most of the story mapped out in my head, which is the hardest part for me, so it's just a matter of putting it all down on paper. For those of you who don't know, I suffer from chronic illnesses so my life is very unpredictable. I can't tell you when updates will be, I can just promise that I will make them as high quality as I possibly can. Also one of my diseases is Neurological and has caused me to develop dyslexia, so I apologize for any spelling errors or anything like that. I promise I check frequently and will fix any mistakes I come across later. As far as what I have written of this story so far, I really like it, and I hope you all will too. Please fave/follow/ and please leave a review! They encourage the fuck out of me. (P.S. Sorry for the shitty cover art, it was my first ever PS graphic, I'm only used to making gifs lol)_

 **[Words: 5500]**

 **[Based off the song, 'Out of the Dark- Matt Hires']**

 **[Summary:** _ **Three months after the bombing of the bank in New York, Shelby struggles with the darkness of depression and survivor's guilt. In a series of therapy sessions, she works through every minute of that fateful day in July. But she slowly comes to the realization, that maybe she's not the one that needs to be pulled out of the dark.**_ **]**

* * *

' _In a strange strange place, I'm lying on the edge of a star_

 _In these violent days, I only wanna be where you are'_

* * *

Shelby stays silent for a long time. Leaning against the window frame, she watches as auburn colored leaves fall to the ground one by one. She tightens her sweater around her torso, as if she could actually feel the chill in the October air through the glass.

"Shelby," A voice murmurs from behind her, catching her attention. "Why don't you come sit down?"

She turns on her hip, not moving from where she's perched on the windowsill, "Technically I am sitting."

That earns her a sigh and an eye roll from Dr. Allison Mack, who has been sitting silently(and quite patiently) across the room from Shelby for the past 26 minutes.

It's not that Shelby isn't comfortable with Allison, she has opened up to her about a lot; she just doesn't want to talk about this. Her demeanor is very empathetic and understanding, with just a hint of sarcasm and class. Shelby has deducted during their numerous weekly sessions that Allison reminds her of an older version of herself, except for her olive skin and stark, jet black hair.

The office is very comfortable. It has large mahogany bookshelves lining the walls, packed with old, tattered psychology books; containing every psychologist from Erikson to Freud to solve any psychological mality someone may have. A large mahogany desk with various awards and knick knacks sits near the door, a thin layer of dust covering the surface, signifying how little use it actually got from Allison. In the corner sits a large, porcelain globe of the " _old"_ world, which on many an occasion, Shelby would spin as she delved into the issues from her past. The large worn leather couch is where she would spend most of her time talking, usually with one of the throw pillows in her lap. Allison sits in a massive leather chair across from the couch, with only a low table scattered with magazines and a box of tissues separating the two. Shelby is comfortable here. But today, she isn't comfortable. Today Shelby doesn't want to talk.

It had been three months; Three months. Twelve weeks. Ninety one days; whichever way you spin it, it was all the same. She had filled twelve weeks worth of sessions talking about everything _but_ that fateful day in July. Now it's finally time, and Shelby does _not_ feel like talking; so she watches the leaves fall instead.

"Shelby come on," Allison says gently. "It's time."

Reluctantly she hops down off of the window frame and drags her feet over to the couch, plopping herself down. "What do you want to know?" She asks, pulling a legging clad knee to her chest.

"Well," Allison says, opening her notebook. "You've done remarkably well opening up about your struggles. We've worked through quite a bit of the abandonment issues that your parents caused you by faking their deaths and how you coped with those financial and emotional struggles that they hurled at you." She flips through the pages that document their numerous sessions, "You've talked about the academy including the friendships and relationships you encountered there, and the struggles that each of those faced once you all were thrown back into the real world."

"Yeah" Shelby says drily, her eyes wandering back to the window, focusing on the leaves once again.

"We've talked pretty in depth about the Clayton Hass situation." She clears her throat, "And we've also talked a little bit about Caleb."

Shelby's head snaps back to attention, her eyes harden instantly; glaring at her as a warning. Allison throws her hands up in defeat.

"Alright alright!" Allison sighs, tapping her pen against her notebook. "We've talked about grand central. We've talked about Elias, and the four days leading up to the bomb going off in the command center. But we have yet to talk about the day itself, July 16th."

"July 16th" Shelby echos, blowing out a breath. She had no idea where to even start. Her heart pounds in her chest just thinking about it. "Where do I start?"

Allison gives her a small, sympathetic smile, "Well, why don't you start at the beginning?"

* * *

\- **July 16th, 2015 -14 hours until second bombing -**

 _Shelby couldn't remember the last time she had felt this goddamn awful. The last week had been an emotionally draining roller coaster since Grand Central blew up. She hadn't slept more than 10 hours in the last 6 days, and it was starting to take a toll on her._

 _Luckily she had been able to squeeze in a 2 hour nap, along with the quickest shower of her life. She pulled her short blonde hair into a messy ponytail and ran a toothbrush over her grimy teeth. Padding out to the kitchen barefoot, she went on a quest to find something to alleviate her gnawing hunger._

 _She poked her head into the refrigerator, sighing at its sparse contents. Shelby grabbed a bottle of orange juice, and downed nearly the whole bottle in a few gulps. Then she grabbed two cartons of leftover chinese food, and closed the fridge with her hip._

 _Confidential case papers were scattered all over her living room, pictures and important files pinned to the wall._

 _Shelby flipped open the file that she had previously been focusing on three hours and seven minutes before, and popped a cold chinese dumpling into her mouth as she found precisely what she was looking for. She plucked up the paper she wanted, dropped the folder haphazardly, and jumped onto her couch; pinning the clue onto the growing flowchart she had plastered to her wall._

 _Standing back, her stance was wide as her feet balanced on her couch cushions, while gears spun wildly in her head._

" _What the hell am I missing?" She thought aloud._

" _Still talking to yourself I see," a voice said behind her. "Some things never change."_

 _Out of instinct Shelby grabbed the nearest object, which happened to be the remote, and spiral threw it in the direction of the voice. She spun around just in time to see Caleb duck, the remote narrowly missing his temple._

 _He raised his eyebrows as it shattered against the wall and then turned his attention back to Shelby. "Nice arm, Anna Kournikova."_

" _Caleb," Shelby said a little breathlessly, "What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night."_

 _His brows knit together seriously. "I didn't come here to fight don't worry," He says, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I'm done fighting. There are bigger things going on then some oedipal greek tragedy type drama between us."_

 _Shelby nodded, understanding exactly where he was coming from; but she was still confused as to why he was in her living room at 12:03am on a Thursday._

" _I may not trust you in other aspects right now, but I trust your mind. Do you think, maybe just for a while, we can forget about hurting each other and go back to normal?" He asked her somberly, as if he had known what she had been thinking. He motions towards her flowchart. "We need to figure this out; together. So, truce?"_

" _Yeah, I think we can do that." She said, a smile creasing her lips. " But," She said turning away from him, "I'm absolutely stumped." she sighed, folding her hands behind her head._

" _Is this a new thinking strategy?" He asked playfully after a moment, his eyes scanning up her legs, her bare feet still balancing between two couch cushions. "Should I hop up on the table?"_

 _Shelby shot him a flat look, "Sorry I was caught off guard by your American Psycho stealth skills when you snuck into my apartment in the middle of the night."_

" _Haaa, look who found her sense of humor." Caleb joked, "But are you really going to tease me when I brought you this?" He motions to her kitchen table, where two pizza boxes from her favorite pizzeria sat; a six pack of her favorite microbrew sat on top._

" _Is that?-" She breathed in excitedly, not able to finish her sentence._

" _Fresh, Hot, Made to order Gregorio's Pizza? Why, yes it is." A smug smile crossed his face as he watched delight play over her features. "Think of it as a peace offering for me acting like such an asshole._

 _Shelby could almost feel tears prick the back of her eyes. "You brought me real food in the middle of the night?"_

 _Caleb shrugged and nodded his head, happy that he had gone through the trouble of paying off the chef to stay open the extra half hour._

 _Without even thinking about it, Shelby launched herself off of the couch and into Caleb's arms; wrapping her legs tightly around his waist. He stumbled forward slightly as he found his footing, his hands gripping her tightly._

 _It knocked the wind out of him; when he walked into her apartment, her legs around his waist was definitely the last thing he had expected._

" _Well this isn't exactly the ceasefire I had expected." He chuckled into her hair, "But I'll take it." He felt her stiffen beneath his hands and before he could process it Shelby was unwinding herself from their hug._

" _Oh god, I'm sorry" she gasped, straightening herself out, "I'm so sorry. It's just with everything that's happened with Alex, I've been so emotional at the fucking inevitability of everything."  
She rambled, " I can't even remember the last time I had a good night's sleep or a decent meal. And here you are, showing up in the middle of the night, even though you hate my guts, to bring me a warm meal and It's just a really great thing-" Her voice hitched as her hand flew to her mouth, cutting off the sob that would have ended the rest of her incoherent sentence. _

" _Whoa Whoa" Caleb took her face in his hands, wiping away the tears with his thumbs. "First of all I could never hate you Shelby, you should damn well know better than that. Come here."_

 _He pulled her back into a hug, letting her cry out her demons against the solidity of his shoulder. He ran a soothing hand down her heaving back as tears soaked through his button up. When her sobs turned to gentle hiccups, he pulled gently on her short ponytail to get her attention._

" _You know what I just noticed?" Caleb murmured, trying not to let a smile creep onto his face._

" _What?" Shelby whispered into his shoulder._

" _You're wearing my shirt." He said with a satisfied smirk, no longer able to hold it back._

" _Yeah I know," Shelby let out a tear filled laugh, "You want it back?"_

" _No," He said shaking his head. He let his hand graze down her back lightly._

 _After a moment Shelby blew out a breath, "Caleb, I miss you."_

" _Yeah," He nodded, bringing his lips to her temple placing a gentle kiss there. "I know."_

 _Shelby cleared her throat thickly, "Well you're going to have to let me go, because if that pizza gets cold, I'm gonna have to kill you."_

" _Well in that case" he said mischievously, as he hoisted her over his shoulder._

" _CALEB!" She squealed, beating her fists against his back. "Put me down!"_

" _Done." He said, plopping her down onto the table before flipping the lid up on one of the boxes. "Also, insulated boxes. They cost me a kidney, so take your time eating there, Malibu Barbie."_

 _She snatched a warm piece of pizza, folding it "like a New Yorker" just like Caleb had taught her. When she took her first bite she couldn't help but moan as her eyes rolled back into her head satisfactorily._

* * *

 _Twenty minutes later Shelby was laying on the living room floor with a stomach delightfully full of pizza._

" _I can't believe that you stole my favorite Def Leppard t-shirt," his voice traveled closer, as he made his way out of her room, pulling the shirt over his head. "But thank god you did, because I definitely didn't want to spend the rest of the night in a tear soaked button up."_

 _He walked into the living room and looked down at her with a furrowed brow, "What are you doing?"_

 _She let out a string of incoherent noises and popped one eye open, hoping that he understood. He popped off the top of the two beers in his hand, and placed one in her outstretched palm._

" _Oh, right. Excellent explanation. Thanks." He laughed, taking a hefty swig of his second beer._

 _Setting her drink down beside her she sighed contently. "Food. Coma." She said, elongating every syllable, hands perched on her belly._

" _Okay." Caleb groaned as he dropped onto the floor beside her. "We'll think here."_

 _They didn't do any thinking for quite a while. They downed a few beers each, talking about anything but what they actually needed to talk about. They made fun of the newscaster on the tv together; and then they made fun of each other because the remote was broken and they were stuck watching the same monotone asshole for the rest of the night._

" _I swear to god I'm going to throw a bottle at the TV." Shelby groaned, clenching her eyes closed._

 _Caleb jumped to his feet, "Or you could you know, unplug it." He said, unplugging it from the wall and cutting the News Anchor off mid sentence._

" _Or that." She huffed, elbowing him in the arm as he laid back down on the floor beside her._

" _Ouch," Caleb said, rubbing his arm. "You've always had such an eloquent ways of saying thank you."_

" _I'm ignoring you," She yawned, stretching her arms out over her head._

" _Nothing surprising there." Caleb retorted smartly._

" _Anyways," Shelby said raising her eyebrows, switching topics before Caleb got himself smacked in the face. " I don't think it was any of our friends. I think the terrorist has to be someone who was on the outside. Someone maybe one of us rejected?" She brainstormed aloud, her eyes remaining closed. "Maybe...Liam? Him and Alex had a thing before she rejected him."_

" _What?" Caleb sputtered out, trying to contain his laughter. He clutched his stomach as he sat up._

 _Shelby rolled over, perching herself on her elbows, her mouth hanging open in amusement. "Come on," She goaded playfully, "You can't tell me you didn't know."_

 _Caleb snorted, "That Alex and Liam were fuck buddies? No I can guarantee you, I didn't know."_

" _Well he's on my list as a suspect." Shelby said pointedly, "He gives me the heeby jeebies."_

" _Heeby jeebies? Are we in the third grade? Does he have cooties too?" He quipped, poking her in her side; a spot where had sworn with his left hand over his heart, to never, ever poke again._

 _She quickly swallowed her mouthful of beer and let out a surprised gasp. "You promised!" She pointed a finger at him accusingly._

 _Caleb shook his head, before drawing a serious face. "I have no idea what you're talking about."_

" _I told you in great detail," Shelby said, running a finger up his arm, "What I would do to you if you ever poked me again."_

" _I honestly don't think you have the guts." Caleb said, taking a drag from his beer casually._

 _Shelby simply plucked the bottle from his lips, setting it on the table beside them; Caleb noticed the glint of determination in her eye. He wasn't sure whether to be threatened or turned on._

" _It's not going to work Wyatt," He said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm not ticklis-SHIT" His body jerked as her fingers creeped behind his knee, finding the one and only spot on his body that was ticklish. She didn't let up until he was pulling his knee to his chest, laughing uncontrollably._

 _She sat back on her heels, accomplishment written all over her face._

" _That's it, you've done it now." Caleb coughed as he sat up, catching his breath._

 _Shelby recognized the fire in his eyes, and she took it as her queue to get up and run. He was hot on her heels as they stumbled through her apartment. Shelby was prepared for a standoff as she rounded the corner, until she tripped, stumbled, and landed her flat on her back on her bed._

" _Fuck," She said breathlessly as Caleb grabbed hold of one of her feet, tickling her mercilessly. Both their laughter filled the room as she tried not to kick him in the face. His hands traveled to her sides, where she's most ticklish. His fingers danced along the exposed skin near the hem of her t-shirt._

" _Don't you dare." Shelby threatened between bursts of laughter. But her threat was heard on deaf ears as his hands relentlessly tickled her sides, sending her into yet another fit of giggles. In a moment of quick thinking, Shelby slid her foot around the back of Caleb's right knee, causing him to lose his balance and nearly fall on top of her, his hands coming down on either side of her head to catch himself as she smiled victoriously._

 _As their laughter died down, a tense, heavy silence fell over the room. Caleb's eyes locked on hers, and it didn't take a scientist to figure out what they were both thinking. Maybe it was the emotional rollercoaster that they'd all been on for the past week or maybe it was the fog of the alcohol; but on instinct, Shelby gave in to the familiar warmth of desire spreading through her veins._

 _She snaked an arm up and grabbed a handful of his shirt, pulling him down into a hard kiss. She felt him stiffen in shock and then slowly lean into the kiss, lips slanting over hers. Instantly they fell back into a familiar rhythm, his hands roaming to her hips as hers skimmed up his neck, fingers tangling in his hair. His teeth caught on her bottom lip, tugging gently before kissing a hot trail down her jaw. Shelby grabbed at his shirt frantically, desperate to feel his skin against hers. He broke contact, pulling his shirt over his head before bringing his lips back to her neck. Her legs encircled his waist, pulling him closer, as he left open mouthed kisses along the supple skin of her neck. She couldn't help the instinctive moan that left her lips, but it was something that instantly stopped Caleb in his tracks._

" _What's wrong?" Shelby breathed, brows knit together as confusion played over her features._

" _We're drunk," He sighed deeply, lifting his gaze to meet hers. "We can't do this."_

 _The alcohol may have induced the tickle fight sure, but Shelby was thinking with a clear enough head to know an excuse when she heard one. She understood, given the situation, but she couldn't help feeling a little bit dejected. She nodded as she pulled away, running a hand through her mussed hair._

" _Alright," She said, her voice unreadable. "I don't want to be something you regret in the morning._

 _Caleb tipped his head, frowning at her words. He took her chin between his fingers, pulling her gaze up to meet his. "Despite what you may think," He said thickly, "I've never regretted a single moment I've spent with you, Shelby Wyatt."_

 _She blew out a heavy breath, one she didn't realize she had been holding. The rigidness in her shoulders evaporated as her arms reached out for him, pulling him into a tight hug. She closed her eyes, he was so solid and warm, and just for a second she wanted to feel safe and forget the rest of the world._

 _His arms tightened around her, bringing her body flush against his. In one swift motion, Caleb brought them both down onto the mattress, landing softly on his back. Shelby's body fell at a slight angle, and she smiled up at him, before resting her cheek against his bare chest._

 _They laid in the darkness of her room, silence flowing comfortably around them. With her arm sprawled over his waist, Shelby idly traced patterns on his skin. When his fingers ran languidly through her hair, she hummed contently._

 _After a moment, Caleb tightened his grip on her hair, pulling on it gently to capture her attention._

 _He sighed heavily into the darkness, "I miss you."_

 _Tears pricked the back of Shelby's eyes almost instantly as he echoed her earlier words. She turned her head, placing a light kiss against the warmth of his chest. His hand closed around her hip, pulling her closer._

" _Yeah," She smiled wistfully into the dark, "I know."_

* * *

"So you guys re-connected then?" Allison's voice rips Shelby out of her memories.

A sad smile is lingering on her lips as she gazes out the window. "I guess you could say that."

Allison nods, scrawling something down in her notebook before looking back up at Shelby, a small smile on her lips. "And given the circumstances surrounding what happened later that day, how do you feel looking back on that night?"

Shelby sighs deeply, crossing her arms over her knees. "I wish it never happened." She says wearily, "I feel like, maybe it would be easier that way, you know?" She rests her face against her arms, blowing out a breath. "Is that selfish?"

"Why do you feel that it would be easier?" Allison ponders, tapping her pen against her chin. She notes Shelby's change in posture as she lifts her head rigidly. She had struck a nerve, and finally they were getting somewhere.

"Because," She states firmly, her voice thin as a razor. " _Because_ maybe that would make it hurt less. Because maybe it would lessen the blame I feel deep in my gut everytime single time I try and look at myself in the mirror. Because maybe," her voice cracks, interrupted by a hitched breath, "just maybe, it would've felt less like my heart was being ripped out of my fucking chest every day for the past three goddamn months."

Allison stays quiet for a moment, letting Shelby's words hang densely in the air between them. "You're still in love with him, huh?"

"Of course I am." Shelby laughs sadly, shaking her head as she swipes at the tears on her cheeks. "It's Caleb; I've always been in love with him."

Allison leans forward and grabs the box of tissues, offering them to Shelby, who shakes her head in response.

"Well," Allison murmurs, folding her hands in her lap. "Well, it looks like we're out of time for today. How do you feel about continuing this conversation tomorrow?"

Shelby sighs, wiping a hand over her face. "That's fine I guess."

"Make sure you do something tonight to clear your head, okay?" Allison offers after taking a sip of her coffee.

She nods and plasters a small smile on her face, hoping it passes as believable. Because the truth was, Shelby's head had not been clear in a very long time.

* * *

Hours later, Shelby enters her apartment, still feeling numb. It was one thing to have the weight and pain of that day hanging over her every day, but it was another thing entirely to relive it piece by piece, moment by moment. It was a slow, emotional torture; and Shelby wasn't here for it.

She strips off her cardigan and falls wearily onto the couch. Ever since her therapy session, the memories wouldn't stop running through her head, almost on a loop. 'Allison was right.' She says to herself, she really did need to do something to clear her head.

She looks around, trying to think of a way to distract herself, when her gaze falls on a bottle of tequila. For a second, she contemplates just drowning the pain away, until she can't feel anything. But she shakes her head and presses her fingers to her eyes, ruling out that idea entirely. Shelby knows that the only thing that downing a bottle of tequila would result in is her on the couch, watching netflix alone, and crying into a regrettably large bowl of strawberry ice cream.

Instead, a lightbulb goes off in her head, and her eyes flick to her running shoes by the door. Nodding to herself, Shelby pushes off the couch and quickly makes her way into her room to change; pulling on some stretchy blue workout pants and a black adidas hoodie. Grabbing her headphones, she pops them into her ears before connecting them to her phone, hitting shuffle, and dropping it into her pocket. She quickly throws her long hair into a messy french braid and makes her way to the fridge to grab a water. She pulls on her sneakers and stuffs the water and her wallet into a drawstring backpack, throwing it over her shoulder. Locking the door behind her, she sets off to finally clear her mind.

When she walks into the familiar gym, it's completely empty and nearly pitch black;moonlight streaming through the windows is the only source of light and Shelby is completely okay with smiles as the scent of sweat and pine assaulted her senses. She hadn't been here in awhile; it was a place her and the other agents used to come to blow off steam when they first arrived in New York. It was well established, a little run down, but the owner had taken a liking to their group and let them come and go as they pleased.

She sets down her stuff and heads over to the hooks, grabbing a pair of gloves. She picks out a medium sized bag, and hits it with a sharp right hook. It feels good, but memories are still flooding her senses, so she hits harder the next time; picking up the pace. Her feet dance around as her upper body pounds out the painful weight that had been sitting on her chest for months. Slowly, adrenaline starts to rapidly replace the pain that had taken root running through her veins. She goes for a while, absolutely pummeling the heavy bag until her arms ache more than her heart; at least for the moment.

Shelby rips off a glove as she struggles to catch her breath, heading over to her belongings she grabs her water and downs nearly the entire bottle. Her lungs burn for air, her panting echoing slightly in the empty gym, as her heart rate struggles to regulate itself.

It felt good, to blow off steam, but at the same time; it didn't clear her head as much as she was hoping it would. Finishing off her water bottle, she decides to run the rest of the arduous

thoughts off. She would run until she was tired enough that she couldn't think anymore. Quickly, she packs up her stuff, and makes her way out of the empty gym.

Shelby is smacked in the face by the bitter October air as she steps back into the night. Fastening her bag on her back, she takes off into a sprint. Music flows through her headphones, propelling her forward; her feet pound against the pavement to the mellow beat. She's not sure how long she runs or where her destination is; that is until she finds herself standing in front of a very familiar, New York Mercy Hospital.

Pulling out her ID, Shelby flashes it at the security guards at the front door, who wave her through with cordial smiles. Striding across the lobby, she makes it over to the elevator, which opens almost automatically. She sighs in relief when it's empty and presses the button for the sixth floor before dropping her bag on the ground. She uses the metallic surface of the doors to check her reflection and straighten up her hair messy, sweat dampened hair.

When the elevator opens up, she walks onto the unit, and is met with a pair of double doors that held the 'Long Term Stay' unit. Shelby takes a deep breath before pressing the intercom.

"Hey, It's Shelby Wyatt." She identifies herself, and the doors make a mechanical popping noise before opening automatically.

She waves lightly at the nurses sitting at the nurses station before making her way down the hallway. Shelby stops in front of room 6231, a number that she saw every single day, a number she'd never forget for the rest of her life.

In the beginning she figured that maybe she would get used to it, the sight of him lying pale and unconscious; but she never has. Everytime she walks into the room, it's still like a sucker punch to the gut. So much so that some days, like today, she has to take a minute to catch her breath.

As her breathing returns to normal, Shelby plasters a smile on her face. Walking towards the bed, she drops her things next to the vacant chair. She brings her hand to his face, running her fingers lightly over his scruff.

"I guess I need to clean this up for you huh?" She says aloud, her fingers travel upwards, threading through his hair. "I also need to do something about this," She laughs sadly, "I told you if you ever let it get this long again I was going to shave it all off."

"Hey Shelby," A female says softly from behind her, making Shelby jump, nearly losing her balance. Her shoulders relax when she sees Jessie, who is a regular night nurse on the ward, and someone who she has gotten quite acquainted to. "Hey Caleb." Jessie adds, which makes Shelby's lips curve upwards a bit.

Jessie walks over to the bed and starts her standard vitals check before she glances over at Shelby. "Two visits in one day huh?"

"Yeah," Shelby sighs, sinking into the chair. "This one wasn't exactly intentional, my feet just kind of led me here."

Jessie doesn't comment, she just marks down all her information before leaning against the wall.

"Anyways," Shelby says, rubbing a hand over her tired eyes, "How's apartment hunting going. Did you guys find a place yet?"

She listens as Jessie gushes about her seemingly perfect life. Shelby knew that wasn't true, she knows in reality that everyone has their own problems. But to her? Jessie's life seemed perfect. She was happily building a home with the love of her life; not a care in the world.

"That's great," She responds, after she realizes the room has fallen silent. She forces her lips into a smile.

"Are you okay?" Jessie asks, concern lacing her voice.

Shelby blows out a breath, "Today has just been really hard. I had to relive that day in therapy and I-" Her sentence trails off as a lump forms in her throat. "-I miss him." She whispers as she motions to Caleb before bringing her hand to her mouth.

"I completely understand. But Shelby," She pats her shoulder, "He came off the ventilator, he's breathing on his own and that means his body is healing. Don't give up hope just yet."

Shelby nods and her eyes drift back over to the bed as Jessie quietly exits the room.

She leans her elbow on the bed, head falling into her hand as she looks at an unconscious Caleb.

"I know you probably hate when I talk to you, I can just imagine you making fun of me for it." She chuckles lightly, "But I guess I do it because deep down I hope on some level you can hear me; that on some level, maybe I can bring you back?"

She shakes her head, thinking to herself how udderly stupid she sounds. But at this point, she would legitimately do anything just to have one more conversation with him, so that's why she talked to his inanimate form; no matter how silly it may seem.

"I know that we both messed up, pretty epically. But we were suppose to get a second chance." Shelby says, swallowing the lump in her throat. "We should be the ones planning a future. Because that's what I realized that night Caleb, you _are_ my future. You've made me happier and made me feel more loved than anyone I've ever met in my entire life. So," She wipes away the tears on her cheeks before she takes one of his hands, and holds it between both of her own. "I need you to wake up; I need us to get another chance," Her voice breaks under the weight of her emotions, "I need you to come back to me."

Folding her arms on the bed, she lays her head down on top of them; only the sound of her sniffling filling the silence. Although her heart still aches, she has a semblance of a clear mind, and her eyelids grow heavy. When she speaks again it's barely a whisper, "Caleb, I miss you."

Shelby half expects him to echo her words, but with a heavy heart she closes her eyes; and it's as she's falling asleep that she misses Caleb's arm twitch in response.

* * *

' _Even fools they say... can find a way out of the dark,_

 _Help me out of the dark.'_

* * *

 _A/N: So what did you think?! Was the twitch just a fluke or was it something more? Next time Shelby will delve deeper into that day, and it will just keep getting more emotional from here guys, so strap on your boots. :) Please leave a review and let me know how you liked it? It would literally mean the world. 3_


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